1.26
तत्रापश्यत्स्थितान्पार्थः पितॄनथ पितामहान् ।
आचार्यान्मातुलान्भ्रातॄन्पुत्रान्पौत्रान्सखींस्तथा ।
श्वशुरान्सुहृदश्चैव सेनयोरुभयोरपि ॥
tatrāpaśyat sthitān pārthaḥ pitṝn atha pitāmahān
ācāryān mātulān bhrātṝn putrān pautrān sakhīṃs tathā
śvaśurān suhṛdaś caiva senayor ubhayor api
Sañjaya (सञ्जय). Three lines. The verse is a list of what the look contained. There is no stop in the grammar until api (अपि).
The verse
There Pārtha (पार्थ) saw, standing in both armies, fathers and grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, and companions, fathers-in-law and well-wishers.
नेपालीमा
त्यहाँ पार्थले दुवै सेनामा उभिएका बाबु र हजुरबुबा, गुरु, मामा, दाजुभाइ, छोरा, नाति, साथी, ससुरा र शुभचिन्तक देखे।
Where it sits
This is the verse the request in 1.22 did not know it was asking for. He wanted to see opponents. He sees kinship terms. Every noun in the list is a relationship, not a rank. No mahāratha (महारथ). No vīryavān (वीर्यवान्). The heroic list of 1.4–1.8 has been replaced by a family list. सेनयोर् उभयोर् अपि senayor ubhayor api is the clause that ruins the tactical reading. Both armies.
pitṝn (पितॄन्) and ācāryān (आचार्यान्) are Bhīṣma (भीष्म) and Droṇa (द्रोण), unnamed. Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) put him in front of those two in 1.25. The list begins where the chariot stopped.
Split: तत्र + अपश्यत् + स्थितान् + पार्थः + पितॄन् + अथ + पितामहान् + आचार्यान् + मातुलान् + भ्रातॄन् + पुत्रान् + पौत्रान् + सखीन् + तथा + श्वशुरान् + सुहृदः + च + एव + सेनयोः + उभयोः + अपि
tatra + apaśyat + sthitān + pārthaḥ + pitṝn + atha + pitāmahān + ācāryān + mātulān + bhrātṝn + putrān + pautrān + sakhīn + tathā + śvaśurān + suhṛdaḥ + ca + eva + senayoḥ + ubhayoḥ + api
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| तत्र | tatra | indeclinable | there. |
| अपश्यत् | apaśyat | imperfect, 3rd singular | he saw. From dṛś (दृश्). |
| स्थितान् | sthitān | accusative plural | standing. |
| पार्थः | pārthaḥ | nominative | Pārtha (पार्थ). Arjuna, under the name Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) just used. |
| पितॄन् | pitṝn | accusative plural of pitṛ (पितृ) | fathers. Uncles of his father's generation, elders he calls father. |
| अथ | atha | indeclinable | and then, and also. |
| पितामहान् | pitāmahān | accusative plural | grandfathers. Bhīṣma (भीष्म) is the one who matters. |
| आचार्यान् | ācāryān | accusative plural | teachers. Droṇa (द्रोण), Kṛpa (कृप). |
| मातुलान् | mātulān | accusative plural | maternal uncles. |
| भ्रातॄन् | bhrātṝn | accusative plural of bhrātṛ (भ्रातृ) | brothers. |
| पुत्रान् | putrān | accusative plural | sons. |
| पौत्रान् | pautrān | accusative plural | grandsons. |
| सखीन् | sakhīn | accusative plural of sakhi (सखि) | friends, companions. |
| तथा | tathā | indeclinable | and also. |
| श्वशुरान् | śvaśurān | accusative plural | fathers-in-law. |
| सुहृदः | suhṛdaḥ | accusative plural of suhṛd (सुहृद्) | well-wishers. |
| सेनयोः उभयोः | senayoḥ ubhayoḥ | genitive dual | of both armies. |
| अपि | api | indeclinable | also, even. Here "in both alike." |
The phrases
tatrāpaśyat (तत्रापश्यत्) joins तत्र + अपश्यत् tatra + apaśyat. There he saw. अ + अ a + a becomes ā (आ).
sthitān pārthaḥ (स्थितान् पार्थः) is the object and the subject. Pārtha (पार्थ) saw them standing. The subject is delayed, as Duryodhana's was in 1.2.
Then the list, all accusative, all of them the object of apaśyat (अपश्यत्):
fathers, and grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, and companions, fathers-in-law and well-wishers.
sakhīn tathā (सखीन् तथा) is recited sakhīṃs tathā (सखींस् तथा). A final n (न्) before t (त्) becomes the dental s (स्) with anusvāra (अनुस्वार) in this join: you hear sakhīṃs (सखींस्).
सेनयोर् उभयोर् अपि senayor ubhayor api says where this list was standing. In both armies. Not only on the enemy side. Fathers and teachers and sons on both sides of the chariot.
Sanskrit in this line
pitṛ (पितृ) is an ṛ (ऋ)-stem. In the accusative plural the vowel lengthens: pitṝn (पितॄन्). bhrātṛ (भ्रातृ) does the same: bhrātṝn (भ्रातॄन्). You can see the long vocalic ṝ (ॠ) in the Devanagari as ॄ followed by न्. Do not read it as pitṛn (पितृन्) with a short ṛ (ऋ). The long vowel is the plural.
Every relationship-word is accusative because apaśyat (अपश्यत्) takes the accusative. One verb, a dozen objects. If you find yourself looking for a separate verb for "teachers" or "sons," you have lost apaśyat (अपश्यत्). It is still in force at suhṛdaḥ (सुहृदः).
Say it back
Recite the list in order, in Sanskrit, then say the two words that put the list in both armies.